COVID-19 spike forces closure of school

Oakland County elementary shuttered through April 5

Walled Lake Consolidated Schools officials informed parents late Wednesday that rising COVID-19 cases will force them to close Keith Elementary School in West Bloomfield through April 5.

“I regret to inform you that nearly 25% of the students and staff has either tested positive for COVID-19 or is considered a close contact to someone who has tested positive for COVID-19,” principal Marci Augenstein wrote to parents. “Based on our protocols, this necessitates a short-term closure of Keith Elementary School.”

The closure means students will shift to all virtual learning for the rest of this week and all of next week. The week after that is scheduled for spring break. The district’s COVID-19 dashboard indicates that nine elementary school students are positive, as are four middle schoolers and 11 high school students.

Another 200 district students are in quarantine after potentially being in close contact with a positive case, as are 15 staff members.

Augenstein apologized to parents for the late notice, saying the decision was made at the end of the school day. Students were given material for home study before they left Wednesday, she said.

“Keith teachers and staff are learning about this closure at the same time as students and parents, so please be patient as teachers send notifications,” Augenstein wrote.

The closure comes amid rising case volumes across Michigan and as a growing number of districts, including Walled Lake, are trying to increase the number of hours of in-person instruction they offer.